Drew, Jackson to interview for Hawks head coaching position

By Frank Hughes, SI.com

Atlanta Hawks assistant Larry Drew will interview on Sunday for the team's head coaching opening, followed by ESPN television analyst Mark Jackson on Monday, according to several league sources.

Drew and Jackson will be the final candidates to interview for a job that was made available when Mike Woodson was fired, according to sources, after which general manager Rick Sund and owner Michael Gearon Jr. should make a final decision by mid-week, sources say.

It is unclear exactly how interested the Hawks are in hiring Jackson, who has no coaching experience, or Drew, who was on Woodson's staff that was criticized after the Hawks had an uninspired performance in both the first and second rounds of the playoffs.

Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Dwane Casey is still believed to be the front-runner for the job, in part because Casey's success with a less-than-average roster in Minnesota. Casey also has a close relationship with Sund, who he worked with in Seattle when Casey was Nate McMillan's associate head coach and Sund was the team's general manager.

However, the Hawks want to do a comprehensive search and Gearon has been out of the country on other business ventures, delaying interviews and an announcement on who the new head coach will be.

Former Dallas coach Avery Johnson, also working for ESPN, interviewed for the job, as did Portland assistant Dean Demopolous.